Tutti Express
Train 2614 otherwise known as the Tutti Express leaves from platform 9 at 2:15 and arrives in Mysore 2 and half hours later. You get an AC compartment with a chair seat for only 250 Rps ( 5 dollars ). Perfect I can take that no problem. I have traveled in Mumbai trains, which for those that have experienced them know it means a lot , you got your aunties with the elbows to push you out of the way, the beggars and sellers, the crowded musky compartments, people telling you the wrong stops and directions and lets not forget the hijaras, phew , the Tutti Express can only be better. Now it has been a good 4 years since my last visit to India and I may have blocked out some of characteristic features of good ol India. Getting to the train station in an Auto (rickshaw) with a driver who says he knows where he is going and then half way to the destination is asking me for directions “ aray bhaiya mujhe nahi maulom , kise say pucho” good thing I gave myself a 2 hour buffer to get to the platform . When he finally figured out the directions he realized he ran out of gas, and there we sat waiting in the longest line ever behind a million other autos , awaiting our petrol. If I didn’t have the heaviest bag stuck in the seat next to me , and the heat blazing down , cars driving every which way and horns honking like it’s a new Christmas carol, I would have jumped out and caught another auto , but instead I waited patiently for the driver to get petrol. Finally we were on our way and within half hour we should be there. He was wrong , we reached in 10 minutes , better early than late I guess. I look around and ask “is this it? “ . “ Yes, madam , train station “ he replies. I look around again and sigh thinking, great now what and where do I go, this place is HUGE! Lucky for me there was a porter awaiting my arrival and ready to carry my large pink bag on his head. For a second I said to him its okay, just leave it . He told me that I would have to go platform 9 which is up and over some bridge. Hmmm…. Sounds far. “ Okay, thik hai” I told him. Good decision , the platform 9 for the Tutti Express was past the crowded ticketing center through a subway which quite honestly smelled of urine, sweat, and more urine, not to mention there were probably remnant of one or both on the ground. I was quite amazed at how this man carried my bag on this head up and down flights of stairs! Hats off to the manual tenacity Indians have. He was a nice porter who situated me on my platform and told me to wait here for the train. I paid him 110 and he was off , although I did think for a sec that he was going to find me water since I was dying of thirst but he didn’t return. I sat there reading me book awaiting the train and every so often heard a splatter , its not raining so what the hell is that, I look around and no one seemed to have spit and then I look up and see the culprit, a pigeion hanging out on the ledge taking care of business which happens to land right near my FOOT ! Great now I have to wait an hour and make sure I not only find the right train , compartment and seat , but also avoid getting pooped in while I wait. I looked around for a safer spot and resituated and looked up to see a few more pigeons hanging out so I decided to take my chances. Lucky for me the train came, a nice man guided me to the right compartment , I ran back and forth between the two entry points to try and get myself on the train . Sat down in my seat in an AC compartment , considered luxury and watched the few bugs crawl on the wall . This is no America but it certainly does not lack in excitement ! Ahh… welcome to India. I am certainly looking forward to some peace, relaxation , and soul searching in Mysore.
